The appetite for all things true crime is not a new trend. Podcasts, YouTubers, influencers and documentaries, this obsession with deep dives into what can be the most traumatic experiences imaginable has held a captive audience for well over a decade now. So what can dance add to the conversation? Ballet am Rhein are currently offering up their answer in this triple bill of diverse work with mixed but engaging results.
This is a programme that warms up as it goes along, which is unfortunate as some audiences left before Demis Volpi’s Non-Fiction Études. It explores the life of troubled American writer Truman Capote, who besides being best known as the author of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, published a real-life crime book in 1959 about a quadruple murder in Kansas. All the dancers inherit the role of Capote at some stage, capturing a multi-faceted personality. However it is Daniele Bonelli who stands out, his body switching from calmly undulating to stilted skittishness. The opening moment where he moves in silence is captivating, Bregje van Balen’s red mesh costumes allowing us to see the quiver of every muscle and to feel every breath.
The narrative then moves episodically through various phases of Capote’s life, childhood and friendship to love, crime and excess. Dancers come and go, and it’s not always clear who Capote is, but the structure allows for enjoyment of the classical and contemporary choreography on offer.
As Capote exhausts himself with research and dedication to his non-fiction work, the corps fill the stage, there are fast tendus and steps reminiscent of ballet class drills repeated over and over to represent this period of burnout.
The women are striking in red waistcoats, trousers and red pointe shoes and we’re given a rare opportunity to see some elegant pas de deux, silky port de bras and arabesques to Rachmaninov’s tableaux, played onstage by Aleksandr Ivanov. Futaba Ishizaki stands out as the strongest classical dancer, her quicksilver feet skipping through the demanding steps, an expressive performer with a real stage presence, she always catches the eye.
Volpi’s narrative feels the least connected with the theme of “True Crime” but Non-Fiction Études is emotively danced so that the audience feel invested in Capote’s life. Structurally, some segments require greater clarity and trimming down, but the quality on offer elevates the True Crime programme.
More divisive from Norwegian choreographer Hege Haagenrud, is Bystanders. Not so much dance as physical theatre. Programme notes suggest a mysterious, supernatural type of piece in which spirits of the deceased speak. What it actually is, is a tapestry of audio (Christoph Kirschfink) from various crime YouTubers, documentaries and social media which the dancers mime and emote to. They do so with great commitment, dressed inexplicably as judges in white wigs and floor length brown gowns.
It may not be dance, but this critic was happy to see someone explore this glamorising of true crime for mass entertainment. We hear the voices of young influencers, their self obsession and ego is the star of the show and not the victims of the crimes. Perhaps this is something Haagenrud is getting at with Bystanders? The mime is precisely done, at times played for laughs, and some for shock. As a piece of theatre it has wide appeal and is well judged, however I overheard comments from this German audience that the quickly spoken English audio is difficult to follow. A language barrier may hinder its impact.
The fleeting programme opener is Chalk from young, award-winning choreographer Andrey Kaydanovskiy. A showpiece for a theatrical foursome of Elisabeth Vincenti, Miquel Martínez Pedro, Clara Nougué-Cazenave and Orazio Di Bella. Our crime solving foursome take on different roles throughout the four chapters of the piece, as victims, perpetrators and interrogators. They are a hapless gang, introduced by a plodding musical accompaniment positioning them as a bit clueless. They are expressive and the choreography acrobatic with parkour style moves as they stumble through various clues and dead ends until a climax where they pass out, exhausted from their energetic escapades.
It’s likely not all audiences will be seduced by the appeal of this rather dark programme, or indeed be convinced whether dance has anything to say about true crime. Volpi’s take will please traditionalists while the originality of Haagenrud leaves you with something to ponder.
